He lied to me, and just like he had set out to do, he had broken me.
Finishing what’s left of my drink, I toss the cup in the trash and do my best to pull myself from the darkness for the rest of the night.
“Hey, girl.” Kyla smiles as she slides up against the bar. Her phone is in her hand, her fingers typing furiously across the screen.
“Hey,” I mutter, with barely enough energy to shout over the music. She picks up on my mood, her eyes narrowing as she tilts her head to look at me as if asking me what’s wrong.
I roll my eyes, plastering a fake smile on my face, as I lean in to ask her what she wants to drink. She orders a martini. Her eyes bore into me as I go through the motions of preparing it for her.
She doesn’t say anything as I help the crowd of people at the bar.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. Everything. I don’t even know.”
“That sounds like a whole lot of I need a fucking drink.”
I nod. “There’s so much to tell you. I can’t possibly go into it all right now.”
Jayde looks down the bar at me, glaring. We’re busy, and I know it’s her way of saying focus more on helping customers and less on talking to my friend. I promise Kyla I’ll catch her up when my shift is over.
Although, the more I think about it, the more I want to go straight home and not think about anything at all.
It’s after midnight when my shift ends. The crowd died down a little bit as the night went on. I contemplate staying after to talk to Brix, to confront him and Tysin about everything, but I don’t have the energy right now.
After punching out, I thank Oaklyn for helping pick up my slack tonight and split my tip money with her. She knew something was off with me and didn’t bat an eye at helping carry more of the load. When she refuses to take the money, I shove it in her pocket before turning and walking out, not giving her any choice.
A Rebels Havoc is playing in my car; their playlist still up from my drive to work earlier. I want to turn it off, I even reach my hand out for the button when I pull back.
The tears I’ve fought back all night fill my eyes once more, only this time I let them flow free. I give myself time to feel the emotions before I lock it up and focus on how I am going to move on.
I know what I have to do from here. It isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it is probably going to break me, but I’ll never let him know.
I’ll never let him see me broken. He doesn’t deserve to know he got through to me.
Twenty-Four
Brix
I didn’t believe Jayde when she told me Ivy took off after her shift. I thought surely she’d let me know before she’d leave. I tried calling her several times on my drive home, each call going straight to voice mail.
A wave of relief washes over me pulling in the driveway. Although every light in the house is off, her car is parked where it normally sits.
Oaklyn mentioned she thought maybe she wasn’t feeling well, but it didn’t explain why she didn’t bother to text me. Pushing all thoughts aside, I walk into the house and jog up the stairs heading straight for her room.
When I open her door, I expect to find her in the middle of her bed, curled up in a ball with a blanket pulled over her, like usual. An unshakeable sense settles over me that something is wrong when I find her bed perfectly made, left untouched.
Shutting the door behind me, I race down the hall, opening the door to my bedroom. The lights are turned down low. It is still dark, but there’s enough light for me to see her and make out what she’s wearing.
She moves her leg, crossing one over top of the other. My eyes zero in on the heels on her feet, remembering them from the first night she was in town. She points her toe, causing the muscles in her legs to flex, and all I can think about is kissing every inch from her ankle to her thigh.
Stepping in closer, my eyes fall to her chest and the black nightie she’s wearing.
“Everything okay?” My voice comes out hoarse. The fear I felt a moment ago is now replaced with desire, seeing what she’s wearing, knowing she was waiting for me to come home.
She doesn’t answer, but I see her subtle nod.